INTRODUCTION
“Only God Forgives” is a film that was written and directed by Nicolas Winding Refin that was released back in 2013. It was shot in Bankok Thailand and it stars Ryan Gosling and Vithaya Pansringarm. Overall, the film received a relatively poor reception by the general public and many people found it confusing and boring. However, I personally found it extremely interesting and thought provoking. For me it became a bit of a puzzle that I needed to solve. I have viewed the film multiple times now and I would say that it’s one of my favorite movies to date and it gives me something new to think about each time I watch it.
This article discusses some of my interpretations of the films meaning. Beware, it contains spoilers. I hope you enjoy.
OPENING SCENES
Julian (played by Ryan Gosling) and his brother, are Americans living in Bankok Thailand. They run a Muay Thai gym and fighting club which acts as a front for their family drug business. In the first few scenes of the movie, Julian’s brother rapes and kills a young girl that he pays to have sex with. He is then caught by the police who allow the girl’s father to enact revenge on him by brutally beating him to death.
Though much of the actual violence in the film is not seen we do see a lot of the aftermath, which is gruesome at times. Later we see the police officer (played by Vithaya Pansringarm) scold the father for allowing his daughter to become a sex worker. He then mercilessly chops off the father’s arm, which quickly reveals that he is no ordinary cop.
THE USE OF SYMBOLS
The opening scene of the film shows a long blade moving across the screen followed by a large red face overlooking the Muay Thai ring. The blade comes from a sword, which in the film symbolically represents the blade of justice. The blade is wielded by the main police officer who represents God. When Julian asks the cop to fight him later in the film, another officer says "Do you know who he is?" meaning, "do you realize that you are asking god to fight?" Julian knows and he responds with a stoic - "yes."
So in the film, the police officer is god, his officers are guardian angels, and he enacts justice with his sword. Interestingly, when he draws his sword it basically just materializes out of nowhere from behind his back, which I happen to like.
The face from the opening scene represents the face of the devil who seems to reside in the Muay Thai club. In the film the devil doesn’t really control anything or anyone but appears to be more of a presence that oversees his followers and maybe even subtly corrupts them. Some people argue that Julian’s mother - Crystal, represents the devil but I personally do not think so. Her portraying the devil seems too cliché to me and it doesn’t fit the story since she is eventually killed by God near the end of the film.
Julian’s hands are highly symbolic in the film as well. Several scenes show Julian looking down at his hands or his hands in fists. In the film, hands represent weapons or a means of violence. We also later come to realize that Julian killed his father (with his hands) at his mother’s request. At one point Mai a stripper who is also somewhat of Julian’s girlfriend, ties his hands up as she masturbates in front of him. This tells us that Mai knows that Julian is dangerous. It also suggests that Julian’s violence is triggered by sexual arousal which is very important to the story. Julian also has reoccurring fantasies of his hands being chopped off by a sword which suggests that he harbors feelings of guilt about the fact that he killed his father. In the story, it is Julian who prays for forgiveness.
Interestingly, the statue in the background of the picture above, is also a symbol. It represents false idols. In the beginning of the movie we see several shots of the statue which suggests that Julian worships the idol. I think the that the idol may represent strength and courage or a sort of fighters spirit. Its message is, be strong, don't talk about your pain, never back down, keep fighting.
Flowers were another symbol that I noticed throughout the film, especially red ones. I believe that flowers represent sex and the color red represents violence which will be discussed later. Together the red flowers represent sexual violence and they specifically pertain to Julian’s mother (Crystal). Throughout the film I noticed that Crystal tends to be surrounded by red flowers anytime there is discussion or innuendo of sex. For instance, she has a red flower on her shirt when she first sees her son and this scene overall alludes to the fact that Julian was sexually abused by his mother when he was a child. The image above does not show it but there is a large rose on her shirt above her womb. In this scene, Crystal touches her son in a bit of a sexual manner and we get an overall vibe that something is amiss between the two characters. At one point Crystal is seen sitting in front of Julian as if she is about to preform orals sex on him.
Later we also see red flowers in front of Crystal on the dinner table. Flowers also appear behind her as well .
In this scene Crystal discusses inappropriate sexual activity with her sons and it becomes clear that Julian and his brother were sexually abused by their mother when they were young. This also explains why Mai ties Julian’s hands to the chair when she masturbates in front of him - i.e. sex triggers his violence because he was abused as a child. This also explains why Julian killed his father. Crystal reveals to the audience that she asked Julian to kill his father in order to protect her. My interpretation of this is that the father became enraged after learning that his wife was sexually abusing their kids and in order to protect herself from her husband, Crystal convinces Julian to kill his father, which he does. Julian in turn, becomes haunted by his guilt from having done so.
Some people theorize that the story is actually the Oedipus story, in which a king kills his father and marry's his mother. There are certainly parallels between the two stories but I personally do not agree with the theory. That could be because I am not really familiar with the finer details of the Oedipus story though? Moving on...
USE OF COLOR
This film has one of the best uses of color to tell a story that I have ever seen. Each color that is used has a symbolic emotional representation which helps tell the overall story. Apparently Nicolas Refin is also color blind, so he tends to use highly contrasting colors in all of his films. The use of color is even present on the films cover jacket. On it, we see Julian wearing a white t-shirt facing the color red. His back is to the color blue. The cover in itself tells a story once we realize what the colors represent.
Something that I do not discuss in depth in this article is the color black. I've noticed that Julian wears a black t-shirt when he commits a random act of violence and Crystals dress is both white and black. Gods shirt is Black as well. Black is a bit obscure in its use for me, but it is something to keep in mind when watching the film. My initial impression is that black represents something to fear. We fear god, we fear our mother and we fear random acts of violence.
THE COLOR RED
In the film the color red represents violence or wrath. It is the most common color that we see throughout the story. It is especially prevalent around Julian, his mother and anytime there is sexuality in the film. For instance, in the club, Mai wears a green dress and dances in front of Julian behind a curtain of red beads. This represents sex shrouded in violence.
Because of his past abuse, Julian becomes violent when he is aroused sexually so for him, sexuality and violence go hand in hand. Walls are typically washed in red light anytime there is violence, and anytime Julian and his mother are together.
THE COLOR BLUE
In the film blue represents peace and tranquility. When God sings karaoke he is mostly surrounded by blue light. In this scene, red lights on the ceiling show us that God is purifying himself after an act of justice. He washes away his violent acts by pushing them away from him. We could also say that when god is at peace he keeps violence at bay.
Another major contrasting moment in color is when Julian washes his hands in the bathroom. In this scene he is bathed in blue light and he appears to be relatively at peace with himself. However, he begins to envision blood on his hands which represents his guilt creeping back into his mind and suddenly we see him travelling back down a red corridor. Julian is never at peace with himself because he is haunted by his violent past.
In one of the opening scenes tranquil prostitutes sit in a greenly lit room protected by a blue barrier while Julian’s violent brother stands in a red shirt and watches them outside. He then enters the room in a fit of rage and beats the peaceful girls. Green - blue - red.
Interestingly, Julian’s suit and vest are also blue and he appears strangely calm and peaceful when he battles with god in the Muay Thai club. Also of interest is the fact that Julian’s mother is washed in blue light when she watches the male strippers. Sexual dominance brings her peace.
THE COLOR GREEN
In the film, green represents lust. Mai’s dress is green in the masturbation scene as well as the erotic dance scene. Mai is a symbol of Julian's lust. As mentioned, the prostitutes at the beginning of the film sit in a greenly lit room. Green lights also twinkle in the background when Crystal watches the male strippers. She is lustful and at peace with her sexual dominance. Oh and violence waits in the background as well. Violence is basically always around Crystal.
THE COLOR WHITE
The color white represents innocence or purity. Not surprisingly, Gods collar is white to demonstrate his underlying purity. At one point Julian, wearing a white t-shirt, follows God through the streets of Bankok. In this scene Julian appears to have an innocent curiosity towards the figure of god.
In another scene, an innocent man in a white suit becomes the subject of Julian’s wrath after he becomes sexually aroused by Mai. Sexual arousal triggers Julian’s anger and he takes his anger out on an innocent bystander. Julian often wears a white shirt, mostly to show his innocence however, in this particular scene he wears a black t-shirt. But watch this scene closely because his shirt actually switches colors - from white to black. When he fantasizes about sex with Mai he is innocent and he wears a white shirt. When the fantasy is interrupted he is wearing a black shirt and he is something to be feared.
Another interesting scene is one in which Julian’s mother appears dressed in white blouse while sitting on a white couch in a room with white curtains. It is an extravagant appeal to innocence as she pleads with god to allow her to leave the city. However, this scene takes place directly after she instructs Julian and his friend to kill God and his daughter and God sees through Crystal’s demonstration of false innocence. He stabs her in the throat, killing her almost instantly. In this case, Crystal’s misdeeds are not forgiven by God because she fails to repent and ask for forgiveness.
Interestingly, her blouse is not entirely white either. It has a pink wash near the bottom. I believe that this demonstrates her violence coming through. She tries to hide it but is unable to do so - it basically bleeds from her. In an earlier scene she wears a pink jump suit as well, which may symbolically demonstrate the same meaning. Pink is a subdued red. In this scene her anger is mild and subdued but it is there.
THE COLORS ORANGE/YELLOW
Orange or yellow represent prestige, power and respect in the film. Anytime someone of power speaks within the office of the Muay Thai club, they are washed in yellow light. Julian also drags the innocent man from the club into an orange lit hallway. In this scene he demands respect. Perhaps this is a demonstration of misplaced anger toward his mother?
Crystal is also bathed in yellow light on several occasions especially when she talks to Julian. For instance, yellow light is present in the Muay Thai club and during dinner with Julian and Mai. This tells us that Julian respects his mother which is a symptom of him respecting and fearing his abuser.
The dinner scene is particular interesting in its use of color. Red, yellow and green are all present which suggests Crystals power, wrath and lust toward her son Julian. Her dress is white and black and the table cloth is also white. Dinner with family is an innocent event. In this situation Crystal wears white to portray innocence but her fear of losing her son to Mai is coming through. Julian also fears his mother which could explain the black as well. His thoughts towards her are mixed perhaps?
CONCLUSION
There is so much subtly in this film which is what makes it so enjoyable to watch. The director’s use of symbols and color to tell the story is truly incredible. Julian was sexually abused by his mother which makes him fear and respect her and his past trauma makes him associate sexual arousal with violence. He is also plagued with guilt because he killed his father at Crystals request. Deep down inside, he wants to be forgiven for his misdeeds. But "Only God can Forgive" Julian which he eventually does after Julian repents and asks for forgiveness. This is demonstrated in the closing scene when Julian raises his arms to be chopped off by the sword of justice. Note that Julian wears white and blue in this scene which suggests that he is pure and at peace.
As an added bonus I've included the scene from the movie in which Julian takes on god and gets his ass kicked. Its pretty epic. Enjoy.
Thanks For Reading
For similar articles on my interpretations of films please see the articles below:
Is Ava Conscious: An Evaluation of the Movie Ex-Machina
The Consumption and Exploitation of Female beauty: An Evaluation of the Movie “Under the Skin”
The Original Movie that Inspired “The Hunger Games”
Image Sources 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22